Person specification
Job title: Applications Manager
Attributes
Experience
Essential
- Considerable experience in leading digital/ software development in medium/large-scale public-sector projects, familiar with supporting cloud-based applications.
- Demonstrate excellent technical expertise in areas including applications development and have a well-rounded understanding of computer systems and networks with the analytical skills needed to identify and troubleshoot issues that arise within applications and use problem-solving skills to determine the best solutions for these issues.
- Proven experience of designing, building and delivering working solutions which meet customer needs.
- Proven experience in a range of Internet / Intranet based technologies.
- Experience of formal Project Management Methodologies. (Agile, Prince2)
Desirable
- Experience of working with other regulatory bodies or partner scrutiny bodies.
- Experience of working with Azure PaaS and DevOps environments.
Education, qualifications and training
Essential
- Educated to SCQF level 9 in IT or graduate qualification in a software engineering or related field.
- Evidence of continuous professional development.
Desirable
- Membership of a Professional body, appropriate to Software Engineering
- Project Management qualification
Skills and knowledge
Essential
- Ability to provide user-centric solutions, which users find simple and intuitive to use.
- Ability to challenge and test traditionally held views about web development, and contribute suggestions for continual improvement within IT.
- Have high attention to detail and accuracy. § Excellent written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills across all levels in the organisation.
- Proven ability to multitask in a fast-paced environment to deliver effective outcomes and meet targets on time.
- Ability to prioritise workload.
- Ability to evaluate the impact of decisions on stakeholders and include this in the decision-making process.
- The ability to analyse complex issues related to digital applications and provide effective solutions
- An ability to adapt to evolving technologies and the ability to bring innovative solutions to digital application challenges
- Ability to make fully evaluated and firm recommendation and proposals to the IT Management Team
- Strong decision-making and quality leadership skills to effectively motivate, develop and lead the team to complete necessary tasks.
- Experience in reporting and providing status updates to senior management.
- Experience in budget management.
- Understand organisational motivations including problems, goals, and objectives.
- Drive continuous improvements in process maturity.
- Facilitation skills: ability to facilitate workshops with all staff levels.
- The ability to build relationships and collaborate with other teams, fostering a positive working environment.
Desirable
- Ability to align the application roadmap with the IT strategy
- Ability to support the ongoing development of strategic plans.
Key performance outcomes
Service improvement
Essential
- Uses knowledge and experience to gather and consolidate information to make appropriate changes and improvements.
- Aware of trends and changes and maintains professional knowledge and skills.
- Encourages and promotes innovative ideas.
- Ability to identify gaps in performance and make appropriate suggestions for improvement.
- Demonstrate initiative, drive and determination to complete tasks and achieve objectives.
Leading others
Essential
- Ability to provide leadership, a clear sense of purpose and direction.
- Ability to take a flexible, pragmatic approach to support to effectively achieve performance objectives i.e. interim redeployment of team members.
Team working
Essential
- Adapts to the team and builds team spirit.
- Listens, consults others, and communicates proactively.
- Demonstrates integrity.
- Contributes to the shared vision and purpose and shares this effectively. Involves the team in decision and actions.
- Ability to work effectively with members a multidisciplinary team to deliver business improvement.
Effective communication
Essential
- Listens to, understands, and communicates complex and multi-stranded information from a range of sources, adopting effective questioning techniques to elicit and appreciate a range of views.
- Ability to negotiate with others in a way that suits the situation, demonstrating a prominent level of theoretical and practical knowledge.
- Ability to express ideas clearly and concisely, explain intricate and complicated concepts and ideas.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Equally at ease in technical discussions with IT colleagues as well as business discussions with senior managers and employees.
- Ability to select appropriate communication style and methods depending on the needs and abilities of the audience.
- Ability to explain IT concepts and issues in a straightforward way, without using technical jargon.
- Ability to advise, persuade and influence people in a professional and effective manner.
Objective decision making
Essential
- Demonstrates analytical and systematic approach to problem solving and decision making.
- Ensures the Business Analysis team has the appropriate support, resources, and authority levels to make decisions quickly and easily.
- Encourages and supports decisions of team members.
- Considers Care Inspectorate values in relation to the impact of their decisions and considers the wider context in which the Care Inspectorate operates.
- Ability to work autonomously.
- Ability to make appropriate and realistic judgements based on professional expertise, relevant, up to date and verifiable information.
Planning and organising
Essential
- Ability to plan, execute, track and report on delivery progress against requirements.
- Works in a systematic, methodical, and orderly way.
- Regularly reviews workloads, goals and targets with team and prioritise where necessary.
- Uses 1-1 supervision to support team members to plan workloads.
- Delegates effectively to others and optimises resources to achieve desired results.
- Focuses on customer needs and satisfaction.
- Sets ambitious standards for quality and quantity and monitors and maintains quality and productivity.
Flexibility
Essential
- Encourages a flexible, positive approach to work in their team.
- Applies regulation and standards sensibly and understands where a flexible approach may be required.
- Works productively in a high-pressure environment.
- Adapts to changing circumstances.
- Has a flexible and pragmatic approach to ideas and change initiatives.
- Is open minded to suggestions about how to improve processes within the Care Inspectorate.
- Exercises professional judgement when considering options and outcomes.
- Demonstrates personal resilience, being able to work flexibly under pressure with stamina and tenacity to deliver results.
Please note – these are key performance outcomes to be used to recruit into the role.
Person specification
Job title: Senior Communications and Engagement Lead
Attributes
Experience
Essential:
- Knowledge and experience of working in and across a complex stakeholder landscape.
- Proven experience in developing and implementing successful communications and engagement strategies for change programmes.
- Experience of working with different stakeholder groups, both external and internal.
- Experience leading a group of diverse stakeholders (including senior stakeholders and disengaged groups) through a change project, advising on appropriate engagement methods / tools to effectively deliver and embed the change.
- Experience of working on digital transformation projects
Desirable:
- Ability to identify, flag, and manage communication risks, ensuring issues are addressed proactively.
Education, qualifications and training
Essential:
- Communications-based subject or equivalent.
Desirable:
- Educated to Degree level or equivalent.
Skills and knowledge
Essential:
- Highly developed specialist knowledge.
- Effective written and oral communication skills.
- Excellent organisation skills.
- Proficiency in MS Office, including PowerPoint ab
- Excellent attention to accuracy, details and overall work quality while meeting deadlines as required.
- Strong project management skills.
- Ability to work with minimal supervision.
- Ability to work flexibly dealing with changing priorities at short notice.
- Ability to work both independently as part of a team.
Desirable:
- Knowledge of the social care sector.
Key performance outcomes
Effective communication:
- Proficiency in creating compelling, clear, and impactful content tailored to diverse audiences and communication channels.
- Ability to explain complex issues to diverse stakeholders in a clear and engaging way, both verbally and in writing.
- Strong collaboration and stakeholder engagement skills.
- Ability to work collaboratively with different teams and build effective relationships with stakeholders at all levels of the organisation.
Impact and influence:
- Demonstrable ability to influence at all levels.
- Ability to give realistic advice, based on relevant, up to date and verifiable information.
- Evidence of building positive relationships, engaging and collaborating effectively with others internally and externally.
Objective decision making:
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify and address stakeholder concerns and adjust communication strategies accordingly.
- Ability to make appropriate and realistic judgments, based on professional expertise, relevant, up-to-date and verifiable information.
- Ability to analyse complex information.
Planning and organising:
- Ability to work under broad direction (often self-initiating work) to establish milestones and successfully meet objectives.
- Involves others where appropriate and optimises resources to achieve desired results.
- Regularly reviews joint goals and targets and reprioritises where necessary.
- Recognises the need to be flexible in order to meet changing priorities.
Team working:
- Contributes to and supports the work and decisions of the project team.
- Contributes to the shared vision and purpose and shares this effectively.
- Commitment to innovation in communication practices and continuous improvement based on feedback and performance data.
Please note – these are key performance outcomes to be used to recruit into the role. Successful applicants will be assessed against all the performance indicators used in the Performance Development Review System once established in the role.
Person specification
Job title: Inspection Planning Manager – Workforce Planning and Data
Attributes
Experience
Essential:
- General experience of workforce planning activities.
- Significant experience of office management
- Staff supervision, systems and processes
- Workload planning, prioritisation and allocation
Desireable:
- Experience of collaborative/ partnership working.
Education, qualifications and training
Essential:
- Qualified to SCQF level 5
- Commitment to own CPD.
Desireable:
- Qualification at SCQF Level 6/7 in relevant subject area (i.e. Highers / HNC)
Skills and knowledge
Essential:
- Sound knowledge of Microsoft Excel and Power BI
- The ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in written form.
- The ability to undertake performance and information analysis in order to formulate and implement strategies and actions effectively.
- Capable of challenging current thinking in a positive and constructive way to develop new and innovative approaches to planning and improvement.
- Ability to translate plans into action.
- Effective negotiating and influencing skills
- Demonstrate a broad level of knowledge of working within inspection/regulation of care and associated IT systems.
- Demonstrate understanding of equality and diversity.
- IT literate, demonstrating experience of IT systems and processes, using the most effective methods to communicate and manage information.
Desireable:
- Understanding of project management
Key performane outcomes
Leading others
Essential:
- Ability to provide leadership, a clear sense of purpose and direction to staff.
- To effectively deploy staff and other resources to achieve corporate aims, objectives and targets.
- Ability to ensure that the planning function conducts itself in accordance with the highest standards of integrity, probity and openness through the implementation of robust corporate governance.
Desireable:
- Demonstrates experience of delivering change and improvement at an operational level.
Management of resoures
Essential:
- Ability to bring together the overall work of a team of staff and involve team members in decision-making.
- Manage resources and budgets effectively and in accordance with Care Inspectorate’s corporate aims and objectives.
- Delegates effectively to others.
- Identifying skills and experience of individual staff and making the best use of resources.
- The ability to adopt a flexible approach to competing priorities and changing circumstances and encourages and supports others to so.
- Ability to drive continuous improvement
- Applies rules and procedures sensibly.
Effective communication
Essential:
- Articulate and positive communicator both in verbal and written communication skills.
- Ability to express ideas clearly and concisely and adapt communication to suit different situations.
- Ability to form constructive relationships with managers and staff at all levels of the organisation.
- Ability to communicate effectively with external stakeholders and manage partnership arrangements effectively to secure positive outcomes/key deliverables.
Desireable:
- Good public speaking skills with ability to represent the Care Inspectorate at conferences, events.
Impact and influence
Essential:
- Demonstrates ability to influence at all levels.
- Demonstrable ability of promoting, leading and implementing strategies and change programmes.
- Evidence of building positive relationships, engaging and collaborating effectively with others internally and externally.
- Demonstrates personal resilience, being able to work flexibly under pressure with stamina and tenacity to deliver results.
Desireable:
- Ability to take account of wider political and organisational sensitivities to deliver strategic objectives.
Objective decision making
Essential:
- The ability to assist key stakeholders to develop strategies and action plans with others, in line with corporate aims and objectives.
- Demonstrates an analytical and systematic approach to problem solving.
- Ability to make appropriate and realistic judgments, based on relevant, up to date and verifiable information
- Ensures that team members have appropriate support, resources and authority levels to make decisions quickly and effectively.
- Encourages and supports devolved decisions-making.
- Considers the Care Inspectorate’s strategic vision, corporate aims and objectives and values in leading and managing others
- Ability to take responsibility for difficult decisions and to remain resilient against possible criticism.
Person specification
Job title: Information Governance Lead
Attributes
Experience
Essential
- Demonstrate a successful track record within a similar role.
- Experience of developing, implementing and maintaining information governance tools and standards, for example, business and security classifications, metadata schemes, life-cycle retention schedules and information asset registers
- Experience of writing policies, procedures and guidance
- Experience of working with and influencing stakeholders and partners
- Experience of undertaking information and process surveys, current state assessments and compliance audits
- Developing and/or delivering training programmes
- Experience of designing, developing and maintaining information management systems
- Line management experience
- Experience of working with the ICO and other regulatory bodies
Desirable
- Experience of working within the social care sector
- Experience of working with IT and business colleagues to integrate IG into technology platforms and business systems
Education, qualifications and training
Essential
Educated to degree level unless has proven experience in senior information governance role in a similar public body
Desirable
- Graduate or post graduate degree, or other qualification in IG-related discipline e.g. Records Management, Data Protection, Freedom of
- Information, Information Security and Assurance
- Legal qualification
Skills and knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge and understanding of the relevant legislation in the context within which the Care Inspectorate works e.g. UK GDPR, DPA 2018
- The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, Public services reform (Scotland) Act 2010, Public Records (Scotland) Act 2011 and associated legislation.
- Knowledge and understanding of the importance of confidentiality and information governance and security principles
- Ability to interpret and present information governance concepts and terminology legal information in lay terms
- Excellent all-round IT skills, including familiarity with the Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, Explorer) and Adobe Writer.
- Proven analytical and problem solving skills
Desirable
Good working knowledge of project planning and process tools such as MS Project, Visio, and data analysis and productivity tools such as DROID and TreeSize
Key performance outcomes
Effective commmunication
Essential
- Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to explain specialist/complex issues to non-specialist staff at a variety of levels and to draft clear and concise written reports.
- The ability to foster good working relationships with a range of colleagues, providing expert or professional advice, both internally and externally.
- Portrays a positive image of the Care Inspectorate when communicating both inside the organisation and externally.
- Selects appropriate communication, style and methods depending on the needs and abilities of the audience.
- Listens actively to people, questions and checks understanding.
- Possesses and displays self-confidence, enthusiasm, motivation, tact and diplomacy when communicating both inside the organisation and externally.
- Focus on representing the work area or function with the main emphasis on advising, guiding, and persuasion; to be instrumental in resolving tensions and difficulties.
- Senior representative in their area of expertise with external contacts.
Planning and organising
Essential
- Uses a systematic approach to make efficient use of time and manage workload.
- Recognises the need to be flexible in order to meet changing priorities.
- Prioritises work effectively to meet deadlines and objectives.
- Ability to multi-task, deal with work within tight/conflicting deadlines and prioritise work appropriately.
- Excellent planning and project management skills and ability to deliver work to specified timescales.
- Responsible for a discrete area of the Care Inspectorate’s work, policy, functional or operational area of activity and for managing projects and associated resources.
- People management responsibilities in terms of planning, leading, organising and controlling the work of others.
- Plan, having an impact across the organisation or affecting the sector, externally.
Flexibility
Essential
- Demonstrates a flexible, positive approach to work and in all duties performed.
- Listens to feedback and ideas from people and will take appropriate and considered action.
- Adapts well to change, adjusting priorities as required.
- Understands where a flexible approach is required.
- Adopting creative approaches and flexibility in the use of judgement which will be influenced by a number of variables requiring significant levels of discretion.
Team working
Essential
- Remains tolerant and fair towards others, values diversity and is nondiscriminatory in their actions.
- Values and makes use of the skills, knowledge and experience of others.
- Works co-operatively and supportively with others.
- Will develop ideas and contribute directly to parts of the Corporate Plan, having an impact across the organisation or affecting the sector, externally.
Personal accountability and responsibility
Essential
- Ability to work on own initiative and exercise own judgment with discretion.
- Takes responsibility for decisions and actions taken keeping line management informed of developments or issues as they arise.
- Maintains a high standard of work and actively seeks out continuous improvement.
- Demonstrates initiative within own area of expertise with limited line management experience.
- Takes responsibility for identifying and addressing areas of personal and professional development.
- To work independently on particular aspects of projects, reporting progress and liaising as necessary.
- Provide information which typically influence decision makers and will take the lead on organisation wide projects reporting directly to a member of the ET.
Please note – these are key performance outcomes to be used to recruit into the role. Successful applicants will be assessed against all the performance indicators used in the Performance Development Review System once established in the role.
Person specification
Job title: Communications Manager
Attributes |
Essential |
Desireable |
| Experience |
|
Working with different contacts, external and internal. Experience of working within the public sector. |
|
Education, qualifications and training |
|
Communications based subject or equivalent. |
|
Skills and knowledge |
|
Knowledge of the social care sector. |
Competencies/Key performance outcomes |
Description |
|
Effective communication |
|
|
Impact and influence |
|
|
Improvement focus |
|
|
Objective decision making |
|
|
Planning and organising |
|
|
Team working |
|
Please note – these are key performance outcomes to be used to recruit into the role. Successful applicants will be assessed against all the performance indicators used in the Performance Development Review System once established in the role.
Person specification
Job title: Personal Assistant
Attributes
Experience
Essential
- Extensive secretarial/office experience.
- Experience of interpreting the business conducted at meetings and producing accurate minutes to reflect discussion and decision.
- Experience of providing administrative support at senior level.
- Experience of preparing basic reports for submission to senior members of staff.
Desirable
- Ability to develop and produce correspondence and emails on behalf of the Director.
Education, qualifications and training
Essential
- Educated to SCQF level 5 (i.e. standard grade or equivalent).
Desirable
- Hold a relevant qualification in administration, and/or secretarial studies at SCQF Level 7 or above (e.g. HNC/D or equivalent.)
Skills and knowledge
Essential
- Excellent communication and negotiation skills
- Excellent organisational, planning and decision making skills.
- Ability to manage conflicting priorities and work to tight deadlines/plan and prioritise workloads.
- Experience of developing processes and procedures
- Good working knowledge of IT packages including Microsoft Applications and database input.
- Ability to translate plans into action
Key performance outcomes
Effective communication
Essential
- Ability to prepare written communication to a high standard.
- Ability to express ideas clearly and concisely and to adapt communication to suit different audiences.
- Ability to form constructive working relationships with people at all levels in the organisation.
- Regularly communicates with and ensures they are accessible to colleagues and key contacts.
- Ability to communicate decisions to colleaguesand key contacts.
Objective decision making
Essential
- Demonstrates ananalytical and systematic approach to problem solving.
- Encourages and supports decisions of colleagues and key contacts.
- Considers Care Inspectorate values in relation to the impact of their decisions.
- Considers the wider contextin which the Care Inspectorate operates.
Desirable
- Ability to express and present complex information.
Planning and organising
Essential
- Ability to react to changing priorities and manage conflicting demands.
- Ability to forward plan and prevent any operational difficulties.
- Uses a systematic approach to make efficientuse of time and manage workload.
- Recognises the need to be flexible in order to meet changing priorities.
- Follows directions and procedures.
Flexibility
Essential
- Demonstrates a flexible, positive approach to work.
- Listens to feedback and ideas from people and will take appropriate and considered action.
- Adapts well to change, adjusting priorities as required.
- Ability to apply skills flexibly as required.
Personal accountability and responsibility
Essential
- Contributes to the development of operational processes and systems.
- Demonstrate initiative, drive and determination to complete tasks and achieve objectives.
- Improve the development and quality of services.
- Takes responsibility for decisions and actions taken.
- Maintains a high standard of work and actively seeks out continuous improvement.
- Demonstrates initiative within own area of expertise.
- Takes responsibility for identifying and addressing areas of personal and professional development.
Please note – these are key performance outcomes to be used to recruit into the role.
Job profile
Job title: Communications Coordinator
Responsible to: Communications Manager
Principal working contacts
- Communications Manager
- Communications colleagues
- Head of Corporate Policy and Communications
- Managers and employees of the Care Inspectorate
- External suppliers and agencies
Job purpose
To contribute to the development, delivery and success of the Care Inspectorate’s external communications function.
Key responsibilities
- Help implement the external communications strategy.
- Deliver a broad mix of high-quality and,reative communications solutions to tight and demanding schedules.
- Support production and promotion of the organisation’s information and promotional collateral.
- Represent external communications on a range of project groups, taking responsibility to provide dedicated advice and support.
- Write copy in clear conversational style, following the Care Inspectorate corporate style, for a wide range of content and material.
- Edit and proof copy written by others to ensure clarity and consistency.
Relationship management
- Develop supportive and productive working relationships with colleagues.
- Ensure effective working in accordance with Care Inspectorate protocols.
- Liaise and work collaboratively with professionals and external bodies to promote the work of the Care Inspectorate and share good practice.
- Represent the Care Inspectorate as required at meetings and events.
- Ensure effective communication of the Care Inspectorate’s work with people who use care services, carers, relatives and advocates.
- Commit to the Care Inspectorate’s aims, vision and values to put people at the heart of our overall objective to improve care in Scotland.
Other duties
This job may require some travel, overnight stays and unsocial hours.
This job description is a broad picture of the post at the date of preparation. It is not an exhaustive list and jobs can change and evolve over time. The post holder will be required to carry out any other duties to the equivalent level that are necessary to fulfil the purpose of the job, and to respond positively to changing business needs.
Job profile
Job title: Senior Communications and Engagement Lead
Reporting to: Operational Transformation Lead
Principal working contacts
- Senior Transformation Business Owner
- Operational Transformation Lead
- Digital Transformation project team
- Executive Director of IT & Digital Transformation (SRO)
- Head of Corporate Policy and Communications
- Communications team
- Care Inspectorate employees/teams
- 3rd party delivery teams
- External stakeholders and providers
Job purpose
Working closely alongside the Senior Transformation Business Owner and Operational Transformation Lead, the postholder will deliver the communications and stakeholder engagement plan to inform, generate interest and enthusiasm about, and seek feedback on the Care Inspectorate’s digital transformation project with a range of internal and external stakeholders.
The postholder will identify and build high quality relationships internally and with external organisations. They will ensure that communications and engagement work undertaken supports organisational strategic objectives, including transformational change, and the communications and policy strategy.
The postholder will advise on innovative communication methods to engage with stakeholders and employees, while promoting the work of the Digital Transformation Project. The postholder will be responsible for leading key communications and engagement activities for the project, including supporting the Senior Transformation Business Owner and Executive Director of IT & Digital Transformation in delivery. This includes supporting the development and implementation of the project’s communications strategy, advising on risk, opportunities and public posture.
Key responsibilities
Strategic management
- Drive internal stakeholder management and engagement with a strategic focus to ensure seamless project communication.
- Listen to the views of and actively seek feedback from these stakeholders on the project as it develops.
- Work closely with different teams and directorates to identify key stakeholders, their needs and concerns, and develop tailored communication strategies to address them.
- Develop compelling communications content – using the organisation’s communications channels, including email, intranet, website, events and social media – to ensure stakeholders are kept informed and engaged throughout the digital transformation project.
- Provide specialist advice to project colleagues on stakeholder engagement and communication acting as a specialist point of contact.
- Lead innovative engagement approaches to keep content fresh and impactful.
- Identify and manage communication risks, ensuring timely resolution.
Operational management
- Ensure proactive and effective communication with stakeholders through a variety of channels.
- Regularly undertake activities to build trust in the work of the project.
- Manage, develop, create and deliver innovative, engaging and informative content, including presentations, newsletters, videos, and FAQs, to support the communication and engagement plan.
- Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the communications and engagement plan, and adjust strategies as necessary to ensure maximum engagement and participation from stakeholders.
- Ensure that consistent and complementary messaging is delivered across projects and communications channels and in line with the organisation’s corporate messaging.
- Provide communication advice, guidance, practical materials and assistance to colleagues as required.
- Keep abreast with key issues affecting communications, particularly in the social care sector as a whole.
Relationship management
- Develop a productive working relationship with colleagues, including the communications team and other Care Inspectorate teams.
- Ensure effective working protocols in accordance with the Care Inspectorate’s Communications, Human Resources, Finance, IT and Operations function.
- Liaise with external bodies, statutory and voluntary, to promote the work of the Care Inspectorate and share good practice, and seek feedback to inform the project.
- Represent the Care Inspectorate as required at meetings.
- Ensure effective communication of the Care Inspectorate’s work with people who use care services, carers, relatives and advocates.
- Demonstrate a commitment to the Care Inspectorate’s aims, vision and values and to the Care Inspectorate’s overall objective of improving care in Scotland.
Other duties
This job description is a broad picture of the post at the date of preparation. It is not an exhaustive list of all possible duties and it is recognised that jobs change and evolve over time. Consequently the post holder will be required to carry out any other duties to the equivalent level that are necessary to fulfil the purpose of the job, and to respond positively to changing business needs.
This job requires some travel and may involve some overnight stays and unsocial hours.
Subcategories
Inspector - Early Learning and Childcare (ELC)
The early learning and childcare expansion…
Role: Inspector - Early Learning and Childcare (ELC)
Location: Forth Valley, Borders, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, Edinburgh & Glasgow
Salary: £31,083 - £39,069 plus excellent benefits
Hours: 140 hours to be worked over a 4-week period
Contract: Permanent or 2-year secondment (would be considered)
Join us and make a difference – for you, for everyone
It’s our job to ensure care for everyone, everywhere in Scotland is as good as it can be. If you are as passionate about high-quality care as we are, and you’re experienced in your field, we’d love to hear from you.
About us
As a national scrutiny body that supports improvement. We inspect care services and partnerships across Scotland, report on the quality of care people experience, and support improvements in services to facilitate improvements in outcomes for people.
We inspect care services individually. We also work with other scrutiny bodies to inspect the social care and social work services people are experiencing in local areas.
We champion high-quality care whenever we encounter it across the thousands of inspections, we carry out each year, and we work closely with all care providers to support them to improve all the time. We collaborate with other organisations too, supporting improvement across public services. Our work plays a big role in reducing health and social inequalities between people and communities.
We are looking for talented people to join us in making a difference - specialists who understand how to put people’s needs, rights and choices at the heart of delivering social services – and how to lead improvement too. Our 600 staff work with services across the public, voluntary and private sectors. We have offices across Scotland and many of our staff work from home.
About you
Whether early or established in your career, you will share our determination that care, social work and justice services should work well for people – every time. You’ll be confident about what good-quality care looks like and how to deliver it. You’ll be good at analysing information and evidence. You will have excellent writing skills for narrative inspection reports that are clear, concise and focused on outcomes. You will be confident in working with a wide range of people and at supporting and advising on improvement.
You’ll currently be working, or have significant experience in, social care, social work, health, children’s services, early learning, child protection, or community learning and development. You will be registered or eligible to register with a professional body like the SSSC, NMC or GTC.
About the role
Our care inspectors work with care services: childminders, nurseries, care homes, care at home, housing support and a host of other specialist services. A specialist in your field, you may have helped lead a service and have a strong track record in delivering quality. You’ll be adept at leading improvement and influencing others. You will work with people experiencing care, and care service providers, managers and staff.
Why join us?
We strive to be a great employer, knowing that competitive salary, leave and pension schemes are only part of that. We pride ourselves on the values we hold, person-centred; fairness; respect; efficiency and integrity - all supported with a culture of care and kindness.
We believe in collective leadership and innovation. You’ll have a lot of autonomy to manage your own work and use the professional skills you’ve honed during your career – but in new ways. Starting on day one, our learning and development support will help you become confident in the craft of scrutiny and in supporting improvement. Because a lot of your role is about sharing effective practice across Scotland, the impact you can have on experiences and outcomes for people is significant. You will draw on management and leadership skills you’ve developed in the past.
We’re proud to be a progressive, supportive employer – we’re happy to talk about flexible working with you and we’re members of the Disability Confident Scheme, aiming to make the most of the talents disabled people can bring to the workplace.
New appointments will normally be placed on the minimum grade for the role; a higher starting salary may be offered in exceptional circumstances only.
ELC expansion
The Scottish Government is committed to expanding the provision of funded Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) from 600 hours to 1140 hours per year by 2020. The expansion of ELC is aimed to support the reduction in the poverty-related attainment gap and improve long term outcomes for children and families.
Due to the ELC expansion programme we are looking for 7 further ELC Inspectors in addition to the “business as usual” Inspector campaign launched recently.
Principles and aims
The priority for the expansion to 1140 hours is to improve children's outcomes and close the poverty-related attainment gap. In addition, the expansion aims to support parents into work, study or training. The Scottish Government's four principles of the ELC expansion are: quality, flexibility, affordability, and accessibility.
The Scottish Government has stated that quality is 'at the heart' of the expansion and that achieving a high-quality ELC experience for children is a key objective.
Use and provision
A 2018 survey found that the main reason why parents use funded ELC is that they consider it beneficial for their child's learning and development. In addition, parents reported using the funded hours to either work, increase the number of hours they work, or look for work.
Funded ELC in Scotland is delivered by a wide range of providers including nurseries, crèches and playgroups, from across the public, private and third sectors. A small number of childminders also deliver funded ELC, but the Scottish Government hopes this number will increase under the expansion to 1140 hours.
Criteria to apply
- We require you to hold a relevant qualification (minimum SCQF Level 9), register with either the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) or any other relevant professional body and undertake PVG checks.
- You must also be prepared to do a Professional Development Award in Scrutiny and Improvement (Social Services) at SCQF level 10 with appropriate support from the organisation.
- You will have a minimum of three years recent and demonstrable management experience in a relevant field. You must also be willing to travel with overnight stays as required.
Before you apply
- Please contact the relevant body directly to resolve any queries you have regarding registration or eligible qualifications for registration (SSSC, NMC and so on) before submitting your application.
- For an informal chat about the job role, please contact (Who?) You or Kim Connolly, Team Manager on 07766133161
- For all other queries, please contact Human Resources at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
To apply
- If you are interested, please see the minimum criteria to apply as an Inspector and the specific guidance and directions to apply. Thereafter, click on the gateway questions link to apply.
- Your completed application form (campaign number C39 only forms) and equal opportunities form should be returned to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.no later than Monday, 14 October 2019 at 8.00am.
- We anticipate that selection days will take place in the week commencing Monday, 18 November 2019.